Are you dissatisfied with your current cell phone provider but afraid to terminate their services? Do you want to apply for a new cell phone provider but you are thinking twice because you don’t want to change you number? Are you wondering if you can change your cell phone provider and yet still retain your old phone number? Are you searching for a guide to help you keep your cell phone number and still change your cell phone service provider? If you are all of these things then you have come to the right place as I give you some guidelines on how to change your cell phone provider and still keep your old cell phone number.
As early as May 24, 2004, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a regulation that required all wireless or cell phone providers to allow for Wireless Local Number Portability (WLNP). What is WNLP? As you may have guessed, WNLP allows you, the subscriber, to terminate your contract of service with your current cell phone provider and bring your old number to the new cell phone provider of your choice. This means that both your old and new providers cannot refuse to transfer and accept your old cell phone number. With this new feature in wireless telecommunications, you can change your cell phone provider without worrying of having to inform all your family, friends and business colleagues of your new number.
The process of WLNP is rather simple one. The first thing that you have to remember is not to terminate your old cell phone service yet. You must first apply for a new cell phone provider and inform them of your desire to keep your old cell phone number. This means that you would have to give your new cell phone provider of the following information: your 10-digit phone number, customer account number, five-digit zip code, and pass code, if applicable. The process of porting or transferring your old cell phone number to your new cell phone provider will be conducted by your new cell phone provider. They would talk to your old cell phone provider to start the process and execute the necessary paper work.
Be warned, however, that prematurely terminating your contract with your old cell phone provider may mean that you have to pay a termination fee. Also, your new cell phone provider may also require you to pay a porting charge, but currently, very few providers charge this because of the stiff competition. Bear in mind that your new cell phone provider cannot refuse porting just because you haven’t paid your porting fees. Also, your old cell phone provider cannot refuse to allow you to carry your old phone number just because you haven’t paid your existing balance with them.
A restriction in your WNLP is that you can only carry over your old phone number in the same geographic area that it has been operating before. If you change states or cities, for example, you cannot bring your old phone number with you. The porting process for wireless to wireless transfer usually takes up to only a few hours.
It seems that every other day the Apple iPhone is in the news. This is especially surprising when you consider that the iPhone debuted a year ago, and has already wowed the press and consumers with its sleek, user-friendly design.
But if the latest news reports are correct, the iPhone could now be making news because it’s actually too popular! The New York Times is reporting that there is a shortage of iPhone’s at Apple’s retail outlet stores in the United States. The shortage has prompted a frenzy of speculation among industry insiders, and many believe the current “shortage” is just Apple’s way of phasing out the current version, to make way for a new and improved iPhone to be debuted later this year.
In the past, Apple has often led their inventory of existing products run low when they were on the verge of releasing a new model. For example, retailers reported a shortage of Apple iPods available from the manufacturer, just before the video iPod was released. But could the current shortage of iPhone’s be just a coincidence, or simply the result of poor management? A few analysts say it’s very possible.
Industry expert A.M. Saccanaghi notes that there is no shortage of Apple iPhone’s outside the United States, where the company’s retail outlets are well-stocked, particularly in the European market. Mr. Saccanaghi believes that this fact makes it highly unlikely that Apple is allowing iPhone stocks to shrink in preparation for a new model release. But other analysts are not quite satisfied with this explanation.
Either way though, industry insiders say that a new 3G iPhone is likely to be introduced later this year, although the phone may sell significantly better in Europe, where there are more 3G enabled wireless networks.
When asked for a comment about the shortage of iPhone stocks in their US stores, an Apple representative would only say that the company is working to “replenish iPhone supplies as quickly as we can,” according to the New York Times story. Obviously, whatever the reason for the inventory shortage, Apple is keeping their mouths shut for the time being, fueling the never-ending rumor mill that surrounds both the company and their best-known product.
Apple has been under increasing pressure this year to stop releasing updates and new versions of their products every four to six weeks. Many iPod touch and iPhone buyers have been outraged to discover that only weeks after purchasing the latest model, Apple had released and “improved” version, boasting more features for less money.
At the rate they are going, Apple’s motto will soon be, “upgrade or die.”
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Do we really need another smartphone out on the market right now? While it seems like there is a new mini gadget-phone released every week now, there’s no denying that they are going to keep coming — and they’re going to be getting smaller and more powerful.
The really problem is that many of these “new” smartphones aren’t so new at all, just repackaged versions of older models with a few bells and whistles added in for good measure. But every now and then, an original smartphone comes along to add something new to the marketplace. One of the last big examples of this was the Apple iPhone, which stirred things up good in 2007 and set the bar a little higher for the competition.
Now it’s Samsung and Sprint’s turn to shake things up a bit. The two wireless industry giants have teamed up to offer the new Samsung Ace mobile smart phone. The design is very similar to the popular Samsung/Sprint blackjack phones, but the Ace is a full-fledged smart phone, complete with QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth support, stereo speakers and access to Sprint TV, featuring more than 50 channels of mobile TV programming and on-demand video.
The Ace is also designed with business users in mind, using the Microsoft mobile operating system, and featuring a full suite of Microsoft office products including Word, Excel and even PowerPoint. The Ace also weighs in at under 4 ounces, making it one of the thinnest, lightest smartphones on the market.
And when it comes to web surfing, the Ace is certainly more than capable. The phone will operate on a variety of high-speed mobile networks, including CDMA, GSM and GPRS. It also features inbuilt international roaming, and comes preset by Sprint with the ability to place or receive calls in about 180 countries, making it an ideal smart phone for serious travelers or global business users.
Of course, like most all mobile phones these days, the Ace is also a fully fledged media player and ships with 2 GB of flash memory for your MP3 and video library. Additional memory can be easily added, thanks to support for external microSD cards, allowing power users to upgrade to 16, 32 or even 64 GB of storage at competitive rates.
The phone also features a — now ubiquitous — 1.3 megapixel digital camera and camcorder, capable of producing web quality videos and digital photos on the go.
While it is clear that the Samsung/Sprint Ace is not exactly an iPhone killer, it does provide a stunning amount of functionality for a seriously low price. Sprint is currently offering the phone to business users on a two-year service agreement for approximately $100, after a $100 mail-in rebate.
In other words, the Ace provides about 95% of the functionality of an iPhone for about 25% of the price. Anyway you do the math, that’s a whole lot of smartphone for your money.
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In Shanghai, there are thousands of factory workers that spend their days assembling Apple iPhones. But sadly, all of the iPhones created in China are exported to Western nations for sale, so even the workers who assemble them in factories can’t own one. Or at least they couldn’t, until recently…
A new study shows that Apple iPhones are being bootlegged back into China nearly as quickly as the factories can export them out. Apple first began to suspect that something funny was going on when an analysis of their iPhone sales showed that approximately 3.7 million units had been sold, but only 2.3 million have actually been registered on Apple’s partner cellular networks (all of which are based in the Europe or North America).
While the disparity in the numbers initially confused Apple executives, at this point it seems clear that a great many iPhones are being bought, unlocked and bootlegged back into China (where Apple currently has no partner networks, making the phones untraceable once they are used within the Chinese mobile system.
While there are certainly professional bootleggers at work re-importing the iPhone to China and other Asian countries, it is also likely that many of the phones find their way back into Asia by “amateur” bootleggers in a type of ad hoc distribution network. In other words, Chinese nationals visiting Europe or North America are likely picking up a
few extra iPhones for their friends while they’re abroad.
Once the phones are returned to China, they are “cracked” so that they will work on local Chinese cellular networks, and fitted with customized local software. Currently, the price of an unlocked “bootleg” iPhone in China is around $500, compared to approximately $400 in the US.
As China becomes more and more of a industrial powerhouse, a new breed of young urban professionals is emerging in the country with plenty of expendable income. These young professionals tend to define themselves by the latest and greatest Western gadgets and electronics, and the popularity of the iPhone is a particularly high-end example of this trend.
When purchasing an iPhone in North America, the user signs a purchase agreement with Apple that prohibits unlocking the phones software for use on other networks. However, using the iPhone in China does not appear to violate any statutes of Chinese law.
And if $500 seems a bit too steep, Chinese consumers can also opt for a so-called iClone, a knock off of the iPhone which currently sells for about $125 on the street. Most Chinese, though, opt for the cachet and prestige of owning the real thing. Until Apple signs a deal with a Chinese cellular network to “officially” introduce the iPhone to
China, they’ll just have to keep on “re-importing.”
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If you live anywhere in the Western world, you might be forgiven for thinking that mobile phones are as ubiquitous as trees. In the industrialized world, you can barely throw a rock without hitting a cell phone, but the fact is that most of the world still does not have access to mobile phone technology.
A recently released UN study indicates that in 2008 mobile phone use worldwide will reach 50% of the earth’s population for the first time in history. Although the percentage of mobile phones in North America, Western Europe and most of Asia is much higher than 50%, in the developing world a mobile phone is still very much a luxury, and many areas do not have mobile networks in place for individuals who can afford the phones.
Mobile phone ownership rates have been rising significantly this decade. Countries such as India, Brazil, and China are seeing astronomical growth in the number of citizens owning a mobile phone. For example, China had an estimated one billion cell phone subscribers last year.
At the current rate of growth, mobile phone rates should reach 50% of the world’s population during the first half of 2008, amounting to over 3.3 billion cell phone subscribers worldwide. Back in 2000, a meager 12% of the world’s population owned a mobile phone, indicating that the market is growing faster than even the most optimistic industry analysts had predicted.
The new figures also do not include users who have more than one phone, which could place the number of cell phones worldwide even higher. Another trend reflected in the study was “mobile phone sharing,” which is a common practice in much of the developing world, and gives more individuals access to instant communication.
When you take into account the phenomena of mobile phone sharing, the percentage of individuals worldwide who “have access” to a mobile phone could likely be much higher than the 50% estimate being reported by the UN telecoms agency.
Worldwide increase in cell phones is good news for several different reasons. First, individuals with access to a cell phone tend to be better informed about current events and issues affecting their daily lives, such as severe weather or other emergencies. Cell phone use also keeps people connected with other cultures, which contributes to greater global understanding, and could help reduce the most extreme elements of nationalism and racism.
Mobile phone use also gives individuals access to employment opportunities, and “instant information,” which can improve living conditions and lead to healthier and safer living conditions.
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Nokia’s new N82 smart phone is raising the bar for mobile multimedia devices, and sports a plethora of features to make even Apple iPhone fans jealous. Released in Europe just six weeks ago, the N82 is officially called a “multimedia computer,” NOT a cell phone. Got that?
The successor to Nokia’s popular N95 model, the N82 is outfitted for GPS navigation, Internet use, and digital photography. It features a five megapixel in-built digital camera with Xenon flash and a Carl Zeiss lens for vivid, high-resolution photographs, even at night or in other low light situations. Of course, autofocus, manual mode and white balancing are also on offer, to ensure the N82 stands up well as a digital camera.
But the fun doesn’t stop there. The Nokia N82 also features near-DVD quality video capturing and an included 2 GB microSD memory card, which holds 900 high resolution photographs, or as much as 84 minutes of video.
And although you would be forgiven for thinking that the N82 was simply a digital camera and video recorder, there are tons of other features that make this an all in one multimedia “superphone.”
For example, The N82 features a full GPS locator, and comes standard with Nokia Maps, to help navigate your way around any city, or even other countries. You can also save screenshots of the map to the photo gallery, and send directions and routes via MMS. Voice guided GPS navigation is also available for an additional subscription fee, though a trial package of the service comes standard with the phone.
Besides the GPS and digital camera, the N82 is also a well-connected Internet phone, featuring WiFi and the ability to access mobile broadband networks. Although the LCD screen is only 2.4 inches, web pages can be easily navigated, and a direct digital video out allows you to connect the N82 to a TV or computer monitor for more serious web browsing.
Of course, like any self-respecting smart phone these days, the Nokia N82 features a top-notch MP3 and multimedia player, to handle all your music and video files. Oh, and in case I have forgotten to mention it so far, the N82 is also a pretty decent mobile phone, with all the usual features you would expect, including Bluetooth, text messaging, etc.
Nokia claims that the phone has a talk time of up to 260 minutes when used in GSM mode, which is a very respectable battery time for a smart phone with so many high-end features.
While the N82 is already out in Europe, a release date for the US has not been revealed at this time. Let’s hope Nokia starts the New Year off right by debuting the N82 here sooner rather than later. Frankly, the Apple iPhone could use the competition.
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After many months of speculation and rumor, this week Google has unveiled its new “GPhone,” except it not actually a phone–it’s something much more. Google is planning a global alliance of mobile phone manufacturers, computer programmers, and wireless service carriers, all united in the cause of developing a new generation of wireless technology.
Google’s new GPhone is actually a cell phone operating system known as “Android.” The truly remarkable thing is that the Android operating system is open-source, enabling anyone to create programs for any phone using the new Google system. Some analysts are already speculating that the new open source Android mobile operating system could ring in a new era of creativity and integration of Internet and cell phone services.
David Weinberger, of Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and society, is speculating that the Google proposal, “can do to cell phones what the Internet did for the personal computer.”
The beauty of Google’s new Android cell phone operating system is that anyone can write a program for it and share it with the world. This suggests we could soon see a huge creative breakthrough in mobile phone applications and mobile Internet technology. Assuming of course, that Google is able to carry out its ambitious plan.
The problem is that in the US, the cell phone market is closed, and mobile carriers generally “lock” mobile phones to their own network, excluding all others. Google is attempting to overthrow this entire philosophy of mobile communication by keeping all cell phones “open,” with an open-source operating system.
But even as big as Google is at this time, some analysts still doubt that their ambitious plan can succeed. The mobile phone industry’s huge players, such as AT&T, are sure to fight Google’s move tooth and nail. After all, the closed cell phone market has been the foundation of their entire selling strategy within the US.
Oddly enough, Google’s new Android operating system is bound to be widely received in Europe, where consumers are not used to the idea of a “closed” cell phone marketplace, and changing mobile carriers is often an easy as simply changing a SIM card inside your phone.
But if Google succeeds with its ambitious plan of an open cell phone market, what will the net effect be for consumers? First, you would never have to worry if a downloadable program would work on your cell phone as long as it was using the Google software. Any phone, by any manufacturer that adopts the Google system will run any software developed for that system. Sounds a lot like Windows, doesn’t it?
But cell phone users are not likely to see the effect of Google’s ambitious plan for sometime. You can expect to see the Google enabled phones available for sale late in 2008.
The world was at the hands of Steve Jobs when iPhone was released to the public in June. Apple devotees literally camped out of Apple stores all over the country to get a first hand glimpse and experience of what an iPhone really is. With all those rave predictions on how good the iPhone is, we forgot that it could actually make some calls. We wished there would be something like that without the phone function so that we don’t have to be tied up with phone contracts and all. Our wish was granted and man, it was fast! Less than three months after the release of iPhone, iTouch was introduced to the public. The initial price of these products was at $299 for 8GB and $399 for 16GB.
So now we have two cool gadgets almost identical with each other. But there are differences that you should know about. If you don’t have either of the gadgets, read on. If you have either one of these gadgets, read what you missed. If you have both gadgets, then definitely, you’re an Apple Geek.
Physical Appearance – The height and width of iPhone and iTouch are the same. You’ll still have that bar soap type appearance that iPhone has. iPhone has three physical controls: the power button, the home button, and lastly the volume control for you music and ear piece for accepting calls. The new iTouch will only have two of these functions. There will be no volume control, so you have to do it within the gadget. There’s also the dock for the earphone and dock to sync your files or to charge your device. In terms of thickness, iTouch is thinner.
Functionality – Obviously, iTouch doesn’t have any functionality to call. But the interface has really changed in terms of the buttons. The only ones left are the browser, music, YouTube, video, library, contacts, to do list. You will also have the ability to purchase songs and albums you really love using the Wifi access for iTunes. That’s something iPhone can’t offer. You still need to sync the music you have in your computer. For whatever reason you don’t have a computer, iPhone will not work for you if you want to download some music.
Browser - Safari works the same in both gadgets. It still can’t support Flash or Java. But we’re hoping that Ajax or those cool web based programs will eventually flourish in Safari.
Music – Can’t really tell the difference. But if you compare them with the iPods, the sound of the iPods is better than these two gadgets.
Video – iTouch tends to be darker compared to iPhone. I think it’s an upgrade compared to iPhone. When you’re using the iPhone for movies, it’s brighter compared to iTouch. iTouch’s darker image makes it even clearer compared to the images projected by iPhone.
Picture – iTouch is clearer. No doubt about it.
So there are ups and downs between these two gadgets. But overall, you have to admit that if you have any of these gadgets, your music and video experience will never be the same again.
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As time goes on, we get closer and closer to having one portable device that incorporates all of our other devices. If you could carry all of your portable devices (cell phone, mp3 player, PDA) together, you would have quite a mess of expensive electronic gadgets around you. More and more electronics manufacturers are coming closer to developing one portable device that can effectively manage the tasks of all these devices. Cell phones have evolved from simple portable telephones to phones with cameras, video capabilities, digital organizers and more currently, mp3 functionality. Although many cell phones have incorporated mp3 functionality, they have all been somewhat limited. The latest attempt from Samsung has come the closest to producing a quality cell phone and mp3 player that fully function.
Samsung UpStage
The unique feature setting the Samsung UpStage apart from its competition is its two sided interface. On one side you have your cell phone and all its functions, on the other you have an mp3 player and all the features you would expect to find there. Samsung has effectively brought these together but also kept them separate on the same device; something most cell phone/mp3 manufacturers have yet to do. The Samsung UpStage is available through Sprint for around $149 with a two-year contract.
Phone Features – The phone side of the UpStage is pretty typical and doesn’t feature anything incredibly groundbreaking. It serves well for a cell phone and has many of the same buttons and features that are common with Samsung phones. Overall, the phone is a decent size and remains slim and thin which is impressive considering the dual sides. The screen is on the small side but this helps reduce a bulkier phone and many of the functions use the flip side of the phone which features a larger, better quality screen.
MP3 Features – The mp3 side of the Samsung UpStage turns out to be much more exciting and revolutionary than the phone side. The screen is much larger and of higher quality, the touch pad that controls the screen is very impressive and the limited buttons actually make it simpler to use. The phone has a microSD slot on the side where you can also find the “flip” button that allows you to switch from one side to the other
The Bad – There are a few holdups on this phone just as any other. Some more serious than others but nothing so detrimental that it’s not worth considers. First of all, the battery isn’t replaceable by the user which means if you have this phone for an extended length of time, you may run into some additional costs on top of just purchasing a new battery. Secondly, the phone book only holds 500 contacts which may be enough for some users but most phones accommodate a higher amount of phonebook contacts. One of the biggest issues for media lovers will be the single speaker on the phone side of the device. It’s not high quality or placed in a very good position.
If you are in the market for a new cell phone, then listen up. The cell phone search has gotten much more difficult with so many options out there. In this article, I will give tips for finding the perfect cellular phone. Hopefully, you will leave feeling more informed and ready to make a buying decision.
Sometimes, you can get a cell phone for a cheaper price if you sign a contract with a certain mobile phone carrier. Do your research on these mobile phone carriers and you will be ahead of the game. You must also look into the add-ons such as texting and special features that may cost a little bit more. There are almost always catches when it comes to these special deals. Make sure to read those contracts extremely closely or you could wind up getting burnt. If the deal looks really good, then there is a chance that they did not include certain things such as texting or different messaging. Alltel is one company that is known to do this so keeping a close eye on their contracts would be in the best interest of the customer.
Some strange people think that phones are simply for calling other people. If, by chance, you are one of those folks who wants to use a phone for exclusive calling purposes, then you do not need certain extra features. When they offer you things like a camera, ring tones, video capability, or messaging, simply tell them that you do not need it. In addition, you must find a cell phone that is respected for its calling merits instead of its added features. You can save a lot of money by losing out on these special features and you can use that money to go towards a better cell phone plan with more coverage area or a greater number of minutes.
What if you are one of those folks who likes a little bit on the side to go along with your calling ability? Some folks could be described as mid-range phone users. Those are the people who like to have a little bit more out of their phone, but do not need certain things could be described as being over the top. If you are in this category, then you probably do not need something like multimedia capability. This should also save you a good bit on the costs. If you opt to have a phone that gives you a whole lot of capability, then you should look towards a phone that has mega pixel capability, mp3 playback, and the option of adding Bluetooth. Before you can get a good phone for you, you must determine your categorical needs. Generally, the most advanced phones should be only for people who use those phones for business needs. These people are those folks who look like they could cook a meal with their cell phone and they have to have the phone for emailing people and other things. You might think that these things sound nice, but do you really need them? Consider this before selecting a “super phone.”
Phones are an expensive investment that you have to try to protect. When you are in the store looking for a phone, you will understand how much they cost. If you are a guy or girl who simply can not keep up with anything, then you might consider getting insurance with your cell phone. Likewise, this will guard against any sort of damage with your phone. This will probably cause you an additional monthly fee, but it will save you big time if you if that phone gets lost or broken. Be careful with insurance, though. Most, if not all policies, will not cover you in the case of a wet cell phone. Drop it in the sink? You are probably out of luck. Fall into the pool with your phone in your pocket? You’re in trouble. Ask what the policy covers, because if it excludes all of those unforeseeable circumstances, then it is probably no good to you. If you are committing money to the insurance policy, then it must be worth your dollar.
Make sure that you find out everything that you can about the cell phone you are about to buy. Many things are not what they seem when you first buy the phone. Most of these companies will try to trick you with extra or added charges and they will get away with it. Make sure that you find out from the cell phone dealer how to work some of the features that you may not understand how to use. These people are paid to give you the right information about your cell phone. If you leave the dealership with less than perfect information, then you are cheating yourself and you run the risk of losing out on your phone.
If you are looking to get some accessories for your phone, then make sure to buy them from a licensed dealer. In this case, you might pay a little bit more for your products, but they will be much more effective. In addition, they may have some sort of warranty. As a person who has had trouble with car phone chargers in the past, it always helps to have a really nice charger that you can rely on. When you are riding down the road and your cell phone dies, you will wish that you had a better cell phone charger.
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